Love Has Its Ways
by starkidsftw
Summary: A story is only one perspective of a reality. There are missing pieces, like a giant puzzle without the edges. Things that happened before, things that happened during, things that happened after and things from different perspectives. This story is the missing pieces. *Sequel (sort of) to Fate Has Its Ways*
1. Introduction: Welcome, and Disclaimers

Hello readers!

Welcome to Love Has Its Ways, the side-quel to Fate Has Its Ways.

_**VERY IMPORTANT:** _This story is not an independent story. It is a type of sequel to another story of mine called Fate Has Its Ways. If you haven't read that story, don't read this. It will make no sense, and you will just be confused. I'd check out Fate Has Its Ways beforehand. If you want to be confused, go right ahead. Your choice.

Anyway, here we are Fates readers.

I will post a new scene here every week or so. Scenes that were mentioned or scenes from different perspectives in Fate Has Its Ways. If you want me to write a specific scene, just send me a review or a pm, and I will do the best I can do.

I hope you guys like knowing a little bit more about the Fate Has Its Ways universe.

Also disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This is a fan piece, the only thing that is mine is the story line.

Carry on.

-starkidsftw


	2. 8 Letters

**Scene: The final battle at Yaxley Manor from Hermione's perspective.**

* * *

Lights flashed on the other side of her closed eyelids. Voices and explosions filled her ears.

Hermione Granger groaned quietly. Her headache was astounding. Her skin felt like it was only made of bruises. What had happened? She opened her eyes slightly.

Looking around the room, she saw a battle. Curses were flying everywhere, and men dodged and jumped, trying to make the right move. Trying to come out on top.

Confused, she looked over her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was. She was in a large room, with dark tapestries covering all the walls.

_Tapestries_, she mused.

Suddenly it all came rushing back.

Hermione almost passed out again. Her skull felt like it was exploding. Spots appeared in her vision and a shrill scream sounded through her ears. A tremendous pressure filled her body. She curled up in ball, trying to force the pain out, to make the pressure stop.

And then, it did.

Hermione Granger lay on the ground, eyes fully open, panting, trying to calm her racing heartbeat.

With all the pain, had come understanding.

For the first time in seven years, she remembered everything.

Her childhood as a muggle, her mum and dad. Getting her Hogwarts letter. Going to that castle for the first time. Meeting Ron and Harry. That damn troll. The philosopher's stone. Getting turned into a cat. Being petrified. The time turner. Buckbeak. Lupin and Sirius. The Quidditch World Cup. Meeting Viktor. The Yule Ball. Her first kiss. Voldemort's return. Being a prefect. Dealing with Umbridge. The DA. The Department of Mysteries. The Slug Club. Dealing with Ron's stupidity. Mcglaggen. Dumbledore.

Hermione took a deep breath.

Bill and Fleur's wedding. The Horcrux Hunt. The Ministry. Ron leaving. Harry, all of Harry. Malfoy Manor. Dobby. Breaking into Gringotts. Going back to Hogwarts. The Final Battle. Kissing Ron. Harry dying. Harry living. Harry winning.

The aftermath. Telling Ron she didn't want more. Her parents. That night at Grimmauld Place. Harry shouting at her. Running away. Drinking.

Hermione closed her eyes as the next memories flooded her mind.

Yaxley.

That dungeon. Being beaten. Crying for Harry to save her. The paper. Yaxley Manor. The memory block.

Hermione's eyes snapped open. She still had the memory block. She had put on the memory block.

She remembered the moment perfectly.

_The death eaters dragged Hermione up the stairs and threw her to the ground at the leader's feet. She felt hate course through her veins as she looked up at the vile monster standing before her._

"_It doesn't matter how long it takes," she whispered. "Harry will find you. All of you."_

_She knew this to be true. Harry may hate her now, but he would never let her attack go un-avenged. _

_The leader laughed at her. "I don't care about that. He may find us, but he'll never find you."_

_Hermione stiffened. "You're going to kill me?" She would be a fool to not expect it, but it didn't make sense. Why wait so long if they were just going to hack her off anyway?_

_The leader shook his head. "No. Death is easy to get over. Loss isn't. And since I want to break Potter, loss is the way to go. No, my darling pet, you will live a long life, I'm sure. However, you won't live that life in the magical world. You won't even remember the magical world."_

_She froze. "What do you mean?"_

_The leader smirked. "I'm going to take your memory, pet. You won't remember the world you didn't deserve to belong to in the first place. You won't remember Potter, and you definitely won't remember how he failed to safe you. Then I'm going to drop you off in the middle of nowhere. You can live. But Potter won't, because there's more to life than just breathing."_

_This couldn't be happening. Of all the nightmares that she could ever live in, this couldn't be one of them. There was no way. What crime did she commit to deserve this hell?_

_Eighteen years of life. Gone. Down the drain. Her friends, her victories, her mistakes, her memories would be gone in an instant, as if they never existed._

_She would never see Harry or Ron or __**him **__again._

_There had to be a loophole._

_Hermione thought back to all she knew about memory charms. Only one out came to mind._

_The memory block._

_She only had seconds. She couldn't save her entire life. What was worth it? What did she want to save? What couldn't she part with? Harry? Ron? Her parents?_

_But she knew before she even questioned herself._

_It was always him._

_She remembered the mechanics of the spell. She let her body fill with love for that damn Slytherin, and she remembered every time they had ever interacted._

_Him calling her a mudblood. Punching him in the nose. The teeth incident. The Yule Ball. The courtyard. The Inquisitorial Squad. Sixth year, wondering from afar if he was alright. The Drawing Room. The humanity spilled across his face. Seeing him after the Final Battle. Knowing he was free from the Daily Prophet. Knowing him. Hating him._

_Loving him._

_She remembered all of those moments._

_Then she locked them away. _

_A strange buzzing filled the air. The death eaters didn't notice._

_In a second, Hermione cast the block. She took a deep breath. All the memories she had locked away were distant from her. She couldn't access them. They might as well have been gone. But she didn't care. Draco was safe in her mind, and her heart, even if she couldn't remember why._

_She stared up at the monster who was about to violate her mind. "Who are you?" she spat at him._

_He chuckled. "Alright, pet. I'll give you that. You won't remember this anyway." The monster took off his mask._

_Yaxley._

Hermione remembered this. It shocked her. After living without memories for so long, it was astounding to have thousands to sort through.

She remembered her entire life. From Hogwarts to Canada and back again.

She was back.

And, she knew where she was.

She remembered Ginny at Grimmauld Place, sending her flying out of that window. Yaxley taking her again. The torture. Then Draco, Harry and Ron rushing in.

The memory ball. Shattering before her very eyes. Everything going black.

She knew everything. She knew where she was, why she was here, and who was here to save her.

She tilted her head slightly. There was Harry and Ron. They had grown up so much from the last time she had truly seen them. They were fighting like madmen, back to back, like they used to.

She stared at Harry. She knew he'd save her eventually.

A wand flew through the air and clattered to the ground beside her. Without thinking, she picked it up, and felt power course through her veins.

It had been a long time since she had felt magic.

She heard noises and voices on her other side.

"Why do you fight, Malfoy?" a voice hissed. Hermione felt rage take hold of her with recognition.

"For her, you bastard."

Hermione almost blacked out again. Her anger at the other voice disappeared in an instant. All she knew in that moment, was the voice of a blond haired bastard who was fighting for her.

More memories came rushing back.

Tim Hortons. The gala. His hair bright pink. Him crying after the Drawing Room. Holding her. Sleeping in her bed after the nightmares. The Quidditch pitch. He wasn't messing her around. Holding him. Caring for him.

Loving him all over again.

He was there, protecting her, as he had since fourth year, whether he knew it or not.

That damn Slytherin bastard that she loved against all logic.

Oh, Draco.

She turned her head, to look at him with, when an almighty crash filled the air.

Before she knew what was happening, rocks began to fall from the sky. A scream became locked in her throat. She didn't have time to stop the coming rocks. She closed her eyes, clutched the wand, and awaited the impact. Her veins filled with anger, anger at the injustice in the world. After surviving everything, she was going to be killed by a damn explosion.

But the impact never came.

She waited several more seconds. Then cautiously, she opened her eyes.

The rocks hadn't disappeared. They were floating a few centimetres above her. The sky was blocked from her vision. All she could see were the rocks.

Confused, she moved an inch. The rocks followed her movements, always keeping a few centimetres away.

Hermione looked at the rest of her body. In her hands, she was clutching the wand like a lifeline.

And in fact, it was.

Rushing out of the wand was a white light that expanded around her body, in between her and the rocks.

She almost laughed.

A simple shield charm had saved her life. She hadn't even known she had cast it. All she had been thinking about what the injustice, with anger rushing through her veins.

As she stared at the shield charm, she felt even more power rushing through her, filling her up with magic like she had never known before. She got a little scared; never in her life had she experienced this much power. It blinded her, and increased the colours of the world at the same time. She felt her heart buzz. Her eyes flew open, and her skin sizzled.

What was going on?

Suddenly, the power stopped. She felt drained, but normal. The shield stayed up, even though she was blatantly ignoring it.

Because, when the power stopped, Hermione heard an agonized scream.

It was Draco.

"Hermione!" he screamed as if his heart was exploding in his chest, the pain ricocheting the words out of his mouth.

She opened her mouth to respond, tell him she was ok, when another voice sounded out.

"Well, look at that. Pet's gone. Just like that. All that love, pointless. Her entire life, meaningless. Now, it will be as if she had never existed in the…."

Hermione didn't hear anything else. Her eyes went red. Her veins pounded with pressure. Her head almost exploded with rage.

Yaxley.

The power returned.

Feeling all the rage, letting the anger take over her mind, she let the power out.

The magic exploded through the room.

It was all her rage, all her anger. All her hatred, all her disgust. The magic exploded the rocks, broke down the roof, tumbled down the walls, burned the tapestries, and rocked the world with a million colours.

As the rock pile exploded, Hermione leapt up, brandishing the wand in the direction of the voice.

Dust filled the air, blinding her momentarily. But her rage propelled her forward. She felt the power radiating off her skin, burning her slightly.

Yaxley's words rung through her head.

_Well, look at that. Pet's gone. Just like that. All that love, pointless. Her entire life, meaningless. Now, it will be as if she had never existed in the…_

First place. He was going to say the first place.

"I wouldn't bet on it, bastard."

Her voice rung out, expelling rage. She felt the power course through her. It was as if her body was not flesh, but magic. Her skin was glowing. Her hair was cackling with electricity. She was releasing so much power, and she had no idea how or why.

But, she did no one thing.

No one could stop her now.

She looked forward at a quivering figure on the floor. She couldn't stop the smirk the appeared on her face.

It had taken seven years.

It had taken loss.

It had taken falling in love.

It had taken everything she possessed, but the time had come.

Yaxley was going to pay.

She raised the wand, pointing it directly in the face of her nightmares.

"I knew you'd regret taking me."

She wasn't just facing Yaxley in that moment. She was looking at Bellatrix Lestrange. At Voldemort. At Memoria. At the muggle children who had laughed at her teeth and hair. At the Slytherins who had demeaned her for years. Yaxley was just a representation of a life of pain.

For a second, her eye twitched to the side.

Draco had stood up, and was staring at her with a face of such wonder and amazement that Hermione's heart almost stopped.

If Yaxley represented a life of pain, Draco represented a life of wonder, love, and happiness.

She wanted that life back.

She wanted the life where she could stay up all night talking to her best friends about the littlest things. She wanted the life where she could sit by a window and read for hours. The life where she had a family to go to, whether related by blood or not. Where she had a home.

Where she was happy. Where she was in love. Where she was truly Hermione Granger.

Turning her eyes back to Yaxley, she smirked again. At the moment, he was the only thing in the way.

He was shaking. Surely he realized who he was dealing with. He must know that her memories had returned. He most know she had the power of a hundred witches at her disposable.

Surely, he knew it was over.

Flicking her wand, almost lazily, she snapped Yaxley's in half. Glaring at it, the wand pieces began to burn him. He dropped them in terror.

It was almost too easy.

She raised her wand, and sent every death eater in the room flying to the floor with a resounding thud.

This was her fight. She wanted to finish it without interference.

She flicked her wand, and a shield appeared around her and Yaxley. It was a two way shield; no one could enter or exit.

She did it effortlessly.

That was when she realized how much power she truly had.

These shields were difficult magic. Barely anyone could do them, let alone non-verbally.

Yaxley was done for.

From one side, she heard a scream.

"No! Potter!"

She heard a crash, and a thud. Harry must've tried to enter the shield.

No, Harry. This was her battle. This was her fight. She didn't need him to protect her right now.

She didn't want him to either.

She had never taken a human life before, not that you could call Yaxley human. But, no one would steal this moment from her. It was her justice, her sweet victory.

"Everyone back up!" That was Draco's voice. He knew. He realized what was happening.

Of course he did. He knew her better than anyone. He knew what her decision was. And even more, he respected it.

No wonder she had fallen in love with him twice.

Turning back to Yaxley, she began her advance. It was slow, tantalizing terrifying. Yaxley scurried back, trying to keep his wits about him.

"Scared, Yaxley?" she whispered. She barely recognized her own voice. It sounded distant. Everything seemed distant.

She was separate from reality, living in her own hell for the last time.

However, this time, she would escape.

She would win.

The bastard held up his hands. "Now, Hermione…"

The use of her first name on his lips sent a flash of rage through her like she had never felt before. How dare he, after everything he had done, dare to use her name? Her name was all she had, the only thing that was truly hers.

The death eaters had robbed her of everything, her friends, her family, her home, her life. They had left her with one thing, and one thing alone.

The name Hermione.

To her, those eight letters represented strength, justice, the ability to fight through anything. To survive. She had survived it all. She had fought her way back, with only those eight letters to guide her. They were everything to her now. Her name was her identity. Hermione meant something. Hermione was her everything.

How dare Yaxley try to use the only thing she had left?

Her hand moved on its own accord. A flash blinded her. Yaxley gasped, and clutched his cheek. Blood was pouring through his fingers.

"Don't say my name!"

He fell to his knees.

For a moment, a slight sliver of a second, she felt pity for the man on the floor in front of her. Not because he deserved it, or because he was bleeding. But because of something else entirely.

A memory flashed through her mind.

It was Yaxley, the day she was kidnapped. As he stared down at her broken, drunken form, he had begun to speak.

_"Love makes you weak, and since Potter loves you, when you get hurt, he gets hurt. When you cry, he cries. And when you disappear, he'll lose himself. And then he'll blame himself. It will ruin him, driving him into an endless life of misery and despair. And then, finally, the boy who lived will be finished. Not through a battle, or a duel. But through his supposed greatest strength, which will also be his greatest nightmare. Love is weakness."_

Hermione Granger felt pity for the man who ruined her life because of that memory. Because he believed that love was weakness. He only believed that because he had never felt that type of everlasting magic. Because he couldn't love.

Hermione pitied anyone who couldn't love.

But, then the memories of her stay at Yaxley Manor flashed through her mind. The pity disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Staring down at Yaxley, she thought about what he had said. _Love is weakness. _

She smirked. No one had ever been so wrong.

She began to pace, twiddling her wand. Yaxley looked at her in terror.

"You once told me that love was weakness," she said slowly. Her voice was filled with strength, and an ancient knowledge older than time. "But it's not. It's power. You, all of you death eaters have spent your time thinking you are the most powerful creatures on the face of the planet. But you're not. You're the weakest. Because you can't love."

Hermione thought of Harry, Ron, of Draco and her parents. She thought of how she'd die for them in an instant, fight for them through anything. She thought of how she'd love them always, regardless of anything. Ron and Harry, no matter what, she loved those men with her heart and soul. It lifted her up, gave her purpose, and gave her the power to forgive, to move on.

She thought of Draco.

She thought of the feeling she got when he kissed her, when he held her in his arms. She thought of how it made her feel like she was flying, soaring over the world, with all her problems as small as ants. That feeling gave her the strength to fight. To fight for the chance of holding him one more time.

She glared at Yaxley.

"You don't know anything about love. You don't know how it lifts you up, fills you up. Some of the people I love most in the world are standing in this room." Harry. Ron. Draco. Her heart sighed. Her ones. Her family. The three men she loved unconditionally. The three men she'd cross the oceans and climb mountains for. Nothing could stop her. Not if Harry was waiting. Or Ron.

Not if Draco was smiling at her.

"That doesn't make me weak. That gives me more power than you will ever know."

Yaxley knew what was about to happen. His face was gaunt and hollow. He was terrified, but he knew he couldn't fight her.

He looked up at his executioner. He looked into the eyes of the woman he had tortured, violated, kidnapped and ruined. He looked into the eyes of the little mudblood girl who had thwarted his plans.

He looked into the eyes of the one person in the world who controlled his fate.

She smirked, and raised her wand at Yaxley for the very last time.

"This is for the Masons, you bastard."

Hermione felt all the power in her veins. She felt all the magic in her heart. Then, staring at Yaxley, she let it all out.

The sky exploded into a million colours. Everyone was knocked off their feet. Yaxley disintegrated in a second, his face filled with the fear of his last moment.

But, Hermione couldn't stop.

She had killed Yaxley, she didn't need to release more power. But, she couldn't stop it. The magic exploded out of her, and if she was the epicenter of a nuclear bomb. She was powerless to stop it.

It suffocated her, almost crushed her skull, and cracked her spine. She screamed out in agony. She had never felt pain like this. All her magic rushed out of her, not caring if it destroyed her body in the process.

Her mind stayed strong, trying to fight it. She tried to control it. But it was too powerful. She begged it to stop, she didn't care about anything. The pain could've killed her. In that moment she wanted to die, anything to stop the pain. Her skull was being crushed. The pressure almost forced her down, she barely stayed her ground.

Let me die, she begged.

But, her mind fought her wish. Images of Harry, Ron and Draco filled her mind. Images of happiness, of miracles, of pain free moments. The pictures and memories fought the magic that was crushing her.

The love she felt for those men was more powerful than any magic she possessed.

It was the most powerful magic she possessed.

She fought the pain, clinging to memories of Harry and Ron. She ignored the crushing pressure, picturing Draco and her alone, one day in the future. She stood up straight, picturing her life, both past and present.

And suddenly, the pain stopped.

She was still standing, exactly where she had been moments before. Yaxley was a pile of dust before her eyes. She looked around the room. It was destroyed, just rubble where a mighty manor had once stood.

Her face felt ashen. The magic had drained her more than anything in her life. She was still clutching the wand, but she let it clatter to the ground.

She looked around. Across the room, she saw him, his blond hair dirty and his grey eyes wondrous.

It was the last thing she saw before her eyes fluttered close.

She felt herself hit the ground. She could barely move. She had no energy left. She was done, broken. Her spirit was powerful, but her body was weak. She couldn't go on. She took a breath, and began to shut the world out.

"Hermione, wake up! You can't quit on us now," said someone from the other side of her closed lids.

She recognized that voice. She didn't know who it was, but the back of her brain was tingling.

She forced her eyes open, taking a precious amount of her remaining strength.

The sight that greeted her was fuzzy. Everything was a mess of colour. There were no shapes, no forms. Just colour.

It was wonderful.

"Oh thank merlin," said the voice. It was a beautiful voice, sweet and strong and vulnerable all wrapped into one.

"Everything's fuzzy," she mumbled.

"It's all going to be fine," the voice told her.

Who was the voice? The voice that had pulled her back from the brink of death. The beautiful voice that was the perfect combination of everything human.

Was it her creator? Her guardian angel?

She felt her eyes focus and looked onto the face of the man holding her.

"Draco?" She said wondrously.

The Slytherin nodded.

Hermione felt a tug at her memories. There were spaces in her mind, spaces that should've been full.

_The memory block._

Now was the moment. Closing her eyes, she remembered the moment of putting it on. She let all the love she felt for that damn man fill her heart, giving her power to do this one, final task.

A buzzing filled the air.

And suddenly, everything came back.

The block came down, and her mind became flooded with memories, like a dam breaking open.

Seeing him the first time, the arrogant little bastard who smirked when the hat called out Slytherin. Him calling her mudblood. Punching him in the face. The Yule Ball. Dancing with him in that courtyard. Nobody's last resort. The Inquisitorial Squad. Defending him against Harry. The Drawing room. The humanity spilled across his face. Seeing him after the final battle. Rejoicing silently that he was alive.

She remembered it all. From hating him to loving him to losing him and all over again.

_"Well, I know me." Hermione said. "I wouldn't have just kept random memories. Each memory I kept had a reason for it being kept. So I'm wondering, do we know what's similar between the memories I protected. They must have been important if I chose to remember them instead of my two best friends."_

Of course they were important. They were everything.

They were her being called beautiful, being told she was worth it. They were the reason she kept fighting. They were the faith she had in humanity. They were the fact that people could change.

They were the memories of the boy she loved, and the story of how she fell for him.

She wouldn't trade them for the world.

She looked up at Draco. He was cradling her head in his lap.

"You were the pattern," she said with absolute certainty. If she didn't make it, he needed to know that.

"Hermione," he whispered, as her eyes fluttered close.

She felt as if all the cords tying her to the world were being cut, one by one. Harry, cut. Ron, cut. Her family, Hogwarts, her magic, cut, cut, cut.

Soon, there was only one cord left. And with all that she had left, she clung to it.

Draco Malfoy, I'm in love with you.

With that thought, she held onto that final cord.

She would never let it go.

* * *

**Review guys. This is going to be a fun story.**


	3. Two Bottles of Firewhiskey

**Scene: The argument at Grimmauld Place between Ron, Harry, and Hermione the night that Hermione disappeared.**

**A/N sorry this took so long, I was really busy.**

**A/N I am silly, and managed to delete this chapter by accident. Re-uploaded twelve hours after the original posting.**

* * *

Harry Potter stared blankly forward. His mind wandered. From what seemed like very far away, he heard the drip of water droplets in the sink. He must've forgotten to turn off the tap.

He was sitting in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place. There was a soft silence that lay over the room. The pots that Kreacher kept so clean were covered with a thin layer of dust. In fact, every surface in the room was covered with it. Harry wiped his hand across the table, clearing it. He'd have to get Kreacher to return to Grimmauld Place. But the little elf was still working at Hogwarts, helping to repair it after the destruction of the battle.

Harry closed his eyes. All the memories crowded his mind, fighting for dominance. Arriving at the Hog's Head. The Room of Requirement. Cursing the Carrows. Snape flying out a window. The Grey Lady. The search for the diadem. Crabbe. The battle. Snape's death. The pensieve. The forest. Hagrid's arms. The final duel. His body, falling dead. Finite. Final. Finished.

It had been a week since then. A week since the most evil wizard in history died. Harry still couldn't wrap his mind around it. He was ecstatic. He was rejoicing. No one would ever hurt him or his loved ones again.

But.

His entire world had revolved around this one shell of a man. Now that he was gone, what would Harry do with his life?

Everyone was ecstatic for him. They said he could finally have a normal life, with his friends and family. They said it was safe for him to do whatever he wanted.

It may be safe, but he couldn't do what he wanted.

In all reality, he wanted to be with Hermione. Ever since that night in the woods, she was all he thought about. Falling in love with his best friend wasn't something he had planned, but he had never felt more right about something in his entire life.

However, Hermione didn't particularly agree.

After that night, she had talked to him and told him that she didn't want anything more from their relationship. It had just been a way to feel more alive for her. Harry didn't tell her the truth. He knew why she was saying no.

It was about Ron.

It was always Ron for her. Their constant banter had just been a way to hide their affection. He knew that. Ron had told Harry himself. Harry wasn't the one to step between two people who wanted to be together. He wouldn't be with Hermione, even if she had wanted to be with him. He wouldn't do that to Ron.

The kiss during the final battle had just confirmed his suspicions about Hermione. She had thrown herself at the old Gryffindor keeper, causing Harry to crush his fists in anger. How desperately he had wanted to be Ron in that moment. But that's not what Hermione wanted.

She wanted Ron. She loved him. She had for years. There was nothing that Harry could do.

Even having sex with him meant nothing to her.

After the battle, Hermione had helped him out a bit. She was mainly at the castle, helping with the reconstruction. Harry wasn't sure her and Ron had talked yet. But, that time would come. They'd talk, date, get married, and go to Harry's for Sunday lunch with multiple redheaded children.

It was meant to be.

Harry closed his eyes. He couldn't even be mad at Ron. He had claimed Hermione before him, making his intentions clear. Everyone had known how much he liked her. Loved her. Harry couldn't be mad at Ron for getting Hermione. She had chosen him, and he had chosen her.

Harry banged his fist on the table. He stood up and walked over to the cupboard. Inside was a full bottle of firewhiskey.

Thank merlin.

He had been hiding in Grimmauld Place for days now. He couldn't face the media, the Wizarding world, Ginny, the Weasleys, the ghosts of his dead friends, or life right now. He spent his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

When Hermione came over, she tried to get him to move, eat, get dressed, but he did nothing. Having her there, a constant reminder of something he would never have, was not helping his mental state.

He opened the bottle and sat at the table, drinking straight from it. He was on his third swing when he heard the front door slam open.

"Harry!" shouted a voice.

Ron.

Harry could barely face him either. Ron was living in a utopia of Hermione, which was Harry's own personal hell. Not to mention the searing guilt whenever he saw Ron. The memory of that night with Hermione would flash through his mind whenever Ron said her name. He had been dealing with the guilt for nearly six months at this point, but it was crushing him. Harry had broken the ultimate guy code. Sleeping with best friends' girl. Or girl that the best friend was in love with.

He needed to tell Ron at some point. He just didn't know how to say it, or when. How did you bring such a thing up? Hey Ron, remember when you ditched Hermione and me in woods? Well, even though I knew you were in love with her, I slept with her, then fell in love with her, lied to you about it, and have been keeping it a secret since.

He'd be surprised if he was able to finish the sentence without a punch in the face.

Harry took another swing from the bottle. He wasn't able to look at Ron sober.

Harry heard stomping through the house as Ron searched for him. Eventually, the kitchen door crashed open. Harry looked over at his best friend.

Ron stood in the door way, panting, with his hair disheveled. It must have been raining because he was soaked. He was shivering slightly. His eyes were squinty and red.

Harry didn't even have time to offer him a seat before Ron stormed across the room and took the bottle. After taking a massive swing, he slammed it on the table.

Harry looked at him. Were those tear tracks on his face?

Oh no.

Ron Weasley does not cry. He does not show emotion. If he was crying, something terrible must've happened.

Harry couldn't handle any more pain. What if someone was hurt, or killed? What if there was another death eater attack? What if? His whole life was a what if.

Ron looked at him.

"It's Hermione."

Harry almost blacked out.

No, it couldn't be Hermione. Nothing could've happened to Hermione. He screeched his mind to a halt before he could consider the possibilities.

"What about Hermione? Ron? What about her?" he could hear the panic in his voice easily.

Ron fell into a chair at the end of the table. "She broke up with me!"

Harry froze.

What?!

Of all the things he thought Ron would say, that was definitely not one of them.

A million emotions went through Harry. Confusion about what the hell was life. Relief that Hermione was alright. And more than anything, happiness.

If there was one thing worse than not being with Hermione, it was definitely watching Hermione be with his best friend. Everyday, seeing her hold someone who wasn't him while he was forced to watch.

He controlled his face, not letting any emotion show but confusion.

"What?"

Ron banged his fist on the table. "I don't know! I haven't seen her since the battle, and so she came over earlier. I tried to kiss her but she pushed me off. She said she didn't think of me like that, and needed some space. Can you believe that?"

Harry ignored the tap dance his heart was doing. "How do you know you guys were dating if you haven't seen her since the battle?"

Ron gave him a look of complete disbelief which was ruined by the tears on his face. "We kissed at the battle, mate."

By that logic, Harry and Hermione should be married by now.

"I don't understand!" cried Ron, slamming his fist on the table. "We've been best friends for years! We finally passed that final barrier, and she says no? Was it something I did?"

"No, Ron," Harry said, trying his best to sound supportive when his insides were doing a jig.

The old Gryffindor Keeper didn't even hear him. "Or was there someone else? Harry, you'd know. You two talk about everything! Is there anyone?"

Harry froze. The guilt he'd been suppressing for nearly five months flooded through him. The memory flashed through his mind, Hermione holding him in that dark tent. An intense desire flashed through him, leaving Harry feeling guiltier than he did before.

He needed to tell Ron. He was his best friend, he owe it to him.

"Ron….." Harry began.

Ron leapt up immediately. "I knew it! Who is it? If it's Finnigan I'll bloody kill him!"

"Ron, there isn't anyone," Harry said, regretfully. What he would give to be Hermione's somebody.

"No, there has to be someone! That someone is supposed to be me!"

"Listen, mate," Harry said, trying to get a word in, but Ron wasn't having it.

"It's always been me and Hermione! We were always supposed to be together! We've been best friends for years."

"I need to tell you something," Harry tried to interrupt, but Ron was on a rant now.

"We were going to be together in sixth, but I messed it up. But I'd never do that again! How can she not see that!"

"Ron!"

"I'm in love with her, and I know she loves me too!"

"You need to listen to me!"

"She's mine! She has to be confused, but still. Why did she call it off?"

"Just stop!"

"It's always been her for me! No one else! And she felt the same way!"

"Ron, I slept with Hermione!"

The atmosphere in the room changed very quickly.

Ron froze in his tracks.

All the colour drained from his face. His started to quiver. In a deadly low voice he said, "you what?"

"I slept with Hermione." Harry had never said it aloud before, and he got a perverse joy from the act.

Ron didn't move. He stared blankly forward at Harry.

Harry shifted nervously. "It was after you left us in the woods."

Ron made a strange choking noise.

"You have to be fucking with me," he said, backing up slowly.

Harry shook his head. "I've been trying to tell you, I thought you should know."

Ron was shaking his head. "No. There's no way you would do that. This is a terrible joke Harry. But, there's no way I would believe it. You'd never betray me like that."

Harry felt a stab in his gut. He stared blankly at Ron.

Ron stared back at him. After a few seconds, his face drained of what remaining colour it possessed.

"You're not joking," he stammered, shaking.

"No, I'm not," Harry said slowly. He should've thought this out earlier.

"You slept with Hermione," Ron said. "You slept with the girl I've been pursuing since sixth year. You slept with the girl I've been in love with for years. And you lied about it."

"I didn't exactly lie," Harry responded, shifting from one foot to another.

"Yes you did!" Ron cried, pointing his finger accusingly. He was shaking from head to toe. "You told me that Hermione was just a sister to you! That nothing was going on between you two! For months, that's what you've told me. You lying bastard!"

Ron's was screaming in anger at the point.

"You knew how I felt about her! And of course, the famous Harry Potter had to sweep in and steal what was rightfully mine! Have you been sneaking around with her since then? Fucking her in back corners while I'm not there? Of course you have! That's what the lying bastard Harry Potter does!"

Harry was cowering at this point. Ron was bright red and screaming. Harry wouldn't be surprised if he hit him.

Ron picked up the bottle off the table and threw it against the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.

"You betrayer! But of course, Harry Potter the fucking chosen one wouldn't care about his best friend! The person who stuck by them for seven years! You're too superior for us regular humans, aren't you?"

"You haven't stuck by me!" Harry shouted back. "You ditched me in fourth year! You left the Horcrux Hunt when your stomach started rumbling! Hermione was the one who was always there for me!"

"Yeah, she was there for you apparently!" Ron sounded close to tears. "Warming your bed, like the slut she is! Laughing at poor Ron, trying to show her how much he cared! Then later, rolling around with the chosen one under the covers! She probably only slept with you because you're so damn famous!"

Harry surprised everyone by punching Ron across the face at this point. "Don't you dare talk about Hermione like that! She isn't like that!"

"Defending your whore, are you?" Ron responded, rubbing his jaw.

"I'm defending our best friend, Ron! Our best friend! No matter what happened, we both still care about Hermione a lot!"

Ron laughed a high deranged laugh at this point.

"You had a real laugh these past few months, didn't you? Watching me flounder to get her to like me again! Knowing you had had a roll in her bed, watching us poor mortals fight for the woman we love! Famous Harry Potter just snaps his fingers and the most amazing girl in the world come running! I'm in love with her, and you're just…just….."

Ron stammered off for a moment. The redness disappeared from his face, and it went white again. Harry stared at him, unsure, not knowing what was happening.

Ron looked up at him. "Are you in love with her?" he asked, in a deathly low voice.

"What?" Harry asked, too shocked to respond.

"Don't fuck with me, Potter," Ron said threateningly. "Are you in love with Hermione?"

Harry stopped and looked at Ron. He was standing there, the pain and betrayal evident in his eyes. His eyes were red with the start of tears. He was shaking once again. Yet, he was paused, waiting for Harry to answer the question.

Waiting to know if they were in love with the same girl.

He was angrier than he had ever been, but he was pausing, waiting for the answer to this one question. The answer would change everything, Harry realized. If Harry said he wasn't, Ron would be angry, but he would move on eventually.

If Harry told the truth, he would lose Ron forever.

He had already lost almost everyone he loved. Sirius, Dumbledore, Dobby, Fred, Lupin. He couldn't lost Ron.

A memory flashed through Harry's mind. It was from the morning after. Hermione had been waiting for him.

"_Harry," she said. A tingle had gone up his spine when she said his name. She looked up at him with those beautiful brown eyes he loved so much. "We can't do this. Yesterday was a mistake. It was just a spur of the moment thing that happened between two people who were lonely. It didn't mean anything. This can only happen once. I mean, there's nothing going on between us. It was good for us, for one night. But we can't do that again. We're best friends, not more. It's not like I'm in love with you or anything." She said the last part with a laugh. That laugh alone broke Harry's heart in two._

Harry closed his eyes, and let the pain of that moment wash through him. She didn't know. She could never know how much hurt those few sentences had caused him.

Harry opened his eyes. And neither could Ron.

"Ron," he started. "What happened between Hermione and I was a mistake. It was a spur of the moment thing that happened between two people who were lonely. It didn't mean anything. It only happened once." He imagined Hermione saying the words, and his heart shattered once again.

Ron was still looking at him, waiting for that final answer.

Harry took a shallow and painful breath.

Then he told the lie that would forever change his life, though he didn't know it at the time.

"I'm not in love with her."

Some colour returned to Ron's face. He let out the breath he had obviously been holding. He ran his hand through his hair. Some of the betrayal and hurt disappeared from his eyes.

Ron understood just being physical with someone. He had dated Lavender Brown, after all. But, love. If Harry loved Hermione, Ron would view that as the ultimate betrayal.

But, lying about it for seven years was a pretty big betrayal too.

However, Harry didn't know what the future held.

Harry's heart lifted as he viewed Ron's reaction. He was going to forgive him, Harry knew it. Ron thought it was just sex. He would get over it. They'd still be best friends.

Harry felt sweet, blissful relief wash through him.

But then, well, fate decided to play around with the trio.

Harry was just opening his mouth to say something else when he heard the front door open. He froze.

He had just re-done the Fidelius Charm. Only Ron, Kingsley, Mr Weasley and Hermione had been in Grimmauld Place since then. Ron was here. Mr Weasley was most likely asleep. Kingsley was working all hours at the ministry, which meant…

Oh no.

"Harry!" Cried a voice from the hall. It was her. Of course it was her. It was always her.

Ron turned red immediately. He began to shake one again.

Oh fuck no.

Harry heard Hermione walking towards the kitchen. Suddenly, the door opened, and she walked in.

The first thing Harry noticed was the tears in her eyes.

The second thing he noticed was the immediate punch he received to the left side of his head.

"You lying, deceiving bastard!" Ron shouted. "I almost believe you for a second! There's nothing going on, what bullshit! Why else would she be here at midnight?"

"Ron!" Hermione cried reproachfully.

"You bitch!" He yelled, rounding on her. "You thought it'd be fun to just string me along for years, and fuck my best friend on the side! Oh yeah, I know about your guys' night!"

Hermione look beyond confused, but at Ron's words, she paled considerably. "Ron, listen, I didn't want you to know about that." She was choking on tears, Harry could hear it.

"Why?" Ron roared. "So you could continue to sleep with Harry? You're supposed to be mine, you bitch!"

Hermione stepped back like she had been slapped. "I'm not sleeping with Harry! It was only one time!"

Ron laughed menacingly. "Then why are you here at midnight?"

"I…uh….," she replied, tears welling in her eyes once more.

"I don't need this," said Ron, shaking his head from side to side. Raising his voice, he shouted. "I don't need either of you lying betraying bastards! You can go fuck yourselves, or each other, more likely! I hate you both!" With this, Ron stormed out of the kitchen. Harry heard the front door slam upstairs.

He stood frozen. He wasn't able to move. _Ron._ His best friend. Gone. In less than ten minutes. He had lost someone else. His brain began to shutdown, unable to deal with the pain.

"Harry," said Hermione. She was weeping openly now.

"Why are you here, Hermione?" His voice was dead, emotionless.

"Why did you tell Ron?" she asked, wiping tears off her face.

He turned and looked at her. "Why are you here?"

She stared at him, not knowing how to react to his coldness. "I never told you that I left an Australian witch to look after my parents, did I?"

Harry shook his head, staring forward. Ron. He had lost Ron.

"Well, I just got a letter from her, and my parents…my parents…" she cried a broken sob. "They're dead, Harry. A drunk driver hit them."

Harry didn't react. The memory of Ron storming out was permanently burned in his mind.

"They're dead, Harry, and they don't even remember me! I'm never going to get a chance to tell them about our adventures, or that I love them. They're gone." She stopped talking then, for her weeping had gotten out of control.

Harry looked at her. This was his best friend in the world, and the girl he was in love with. He should be holding her, telling her it's going to be alright. He should be feeling empathy, sympathy, understanding.

However, all he felt was anger.

"Ron was right," Harry said softly. "You are a bitch."

Hermione froze, the tears on her face gleaming in the low light. "W-w-what?"

Harry glared at her. Maybe he could save his friendship with Ron if he pushed Hermione away. Ron. His best friend.

"You sleep with me, you lead Ron on. You act so damn superior all the time. You are rude and arrogant and bossy. No wonder everyone hates you."

Hermione was completely frozen. A voice at the back of Harry's head was screaming at him, but he couldn't stop the words expelling from his mouth. They came out as shouting.

"Why did you have to fuck up me and Ron like you've fucked up everything else in your life? Your parents, that's your fault! You are nothing but a no good know-it-all who tags along because no one else will take her. I don't want you in my life. Fuck off and leave me and Ron alone. We were happier before that damn troll! We don't need you! Have you ever wondered why I didn't care about not talking to you in third year, but losing Ron in fourth was everything? Fuck you, Hermione! You mean nothing to me! You should just disappear! No one would miss you. I wouldn't miss you."

Hermione stared at him dumbfounded. She was white as a sheet. Tears were still streaming down her face. She looked as if her life had just fallen apart. Without a word, she turned on her hell and left.

Harry stood there for ten minutes without moving. In the span of an hour, he had managed to lose both of his best friends. He turned, and slammed his fist into the wall.

Hermione's face after he had shouted at her was burned into his mind.

He fell to the floor. The things he had said to her. He had never said anything so atrocious. He didn't mean any of it. He was just angry, and the words came out.

He buried his head in his hands. He had lost her: the one person who was always there. The girl he was in love with. His best friend.

She was gone.

Harry had no idea how true that statement was.

He stood up, and let the tears flow down his face. He lumbered over to the cabinet and got out another bottle of firewhiskey to replace the broken one. Sitting down at the table, he began to drink. Within twenty minutes, he had finished the bottle by himself.

On the other side of Great Britain, Hermione did the same.

Two people, drinking two different bottles of firewhiskey.

They were two best friends, who loved each other dearly. They drank that night, crying and wishing for the other's comfort. They tried to find out what they would say if they saw each other again. They attempted to figure out how things had gone so astray. They worried about their other best friend, who was hiding at his childhood home, crying silently to himself. They questioned if they could have said something different. They wondered what they were to each other, whether a lover, friend, or enemy.

Eventually, they did answer all those questions.

It only took seven years.

* * *

**Review my lovelies. Also suggest scenes**


	4. Us

**Scene: Conversation between Hermione and Harry after Hermione leaves St. Mungos (right before Hermione's welcome back party)**

* * *

Hermione tapped her fingers on the table, while looking around the kitchen.

It had been a while since she had been at number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Well, technically, she had been here a few days ago. But, not really there, given that she had lacked most of her memories.

It had been a day or two since the battle at Yaxley Manor. She remembered it all clearly. She remembered getting her memories back, killing Yaxley, erasing the memory block, and passing out. She had spent the next day in the hospital. She had been completely knocked out because her magic had been so drained. It was only because Draco had given her some of his magic that she was awake.

Draco, she mused.

That beautiful blonde haired bastard that she loved with all her heart. She hadn't seen him since right after she had woken up. Everyone had been rushed out of the room so that the healers could make sure she was alright. She longed to see him. She needed to. It was time to tell him the truth, and maybe have the conversation she had failed to have with Harry.

She sighed. Oh, Harry.

She looked around the kitchen as the memory of her last true experience here filled her mind. It had been the night she had disappeared. Ron had accused her and Harry of seeing each other. He had stormed out, leaving her with Harry. He had yelled at her, accusing her of ruining his friendship with Ron. At the time, she had thought he hated her.

Now, seven years later, she finally knew the truth.

He was in love with her.

Hermione closed her eyes. Her best friend in the world had fallen desperately in love with her. It was all because of that night in the woods, she knew it. He probably loved her before then, but hadn't realized it until that night.

Then she, unknowingly, had destroyed all of his hopes with one single sentence.

_It's not like I'm in love with you or anything._

She felt shame course through her. She should've told him the truth that morning. She shouldn't have used him for sex and assumed that it didn't mean anything to him. There was so much she shouldn't and should've done.

Now, she needed to tell him that.

She looked at the clock on the wall. He had been gone for an hour. He hadn't said where he was going, just that he'd be back soon.

She hoped he would be. They had been waiting for seven years. They couldn't wait much longer before ruining their friendship forever.

Almost like fate was playing with them, the front door opened at that exact moment.

Hermione heard Harry walking through the house on the way to the kitchen. The door opened and he walked in.

Hermione's heart hurt just looking at him. His dark hair was ruffled, and his green eyes were shining. He looked at her, and his face split into a smile that shined like a thousand diamonds.

Hermione couldn't decide to feel happy or shameful.

"I'm sorry that took so long," he said.

"Where'd you go, anyway?" Hermione asked.

Harry walked over and sat at the table. "I went over to Draco's flat."

A spark of electricity went through her.

"Draco?" Hermione heard her voice shake. "Why?"

Harry sighed. "I wanted to invite him to your welcome back party."

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "Thank you."

There were a few moments of silence.

"Are you in love with him?" Harry asked quietly.

Hermione stared forward. "Yes," she whispered.

Harry nodded, expecting the answer. "Is that why you chose to remember him?"

Hermione nodded.

"So you loved him at Hogwarts?" Another nodded. "How? All he did was bully you."

Hermione sighed. "Remember at the Yule ball, when Ron got mad at me about Viktor, and I stormed out?"

Harry nodded.

"He followed me out, Draco did, I mean. Then he danced with me in the courtyard, and told me I was beautiful. That's all I wanted, Harry. For someone to think I was beautiful."

"I thought you were beautiful," he said softly, avoiding her eyes.

"I know," she said, a pang going through her heart. "Anyway, after the Yule Ball, I started to notice him more. I saw him laughing and I wondered what the joke was. I saw him frowning, and I wondered what had upset him. I saw him bullying a first year, and I wondered what was causing him so much pain that he took it out on others. I love solving a problem. Draco Malfoy was the ultimate question."

"Then, when I was tortured at Malfoy Manor, I saw his face. He wasn't laughing, or goading his aunt on. He was horrified, Harry. He hated what was happening to me. For the first time in my life, I saw humanity on his face. And in that moment, I knew. I just knew."

There was a pause.

"So that night in the woods, you didn't know?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I didn't."

There was another pause.

"Hermione, why did that night happen?"

She looked down at her hands. "You've always been there for me, Harry. I was upset, and you were there, like you've always been. I took advantage of that. I wanted to feel comfort, to feel like a human being again. I know you did too."

She looked up at him. His face was filled with such an extraordinary amount of pain that Hermione hurt just looking at him.

"I didn't know, Harry," she said softly. "I had no idea how you felt. If I had, I would've never done that. I'm so sorry."

Harry shook his head so quickly that he got a crick in his neck. "No, Hermione, don't ever say that. I didn't even know how I felt until afterwards."

"Then why'd you do it, Harry?" She asked.

"Because I was sad. And it felt right," he replied. "I couldn't sleep afterwards, and that's when I realized the truth."

"Why didn't you tell me?" her voice cracked.

"Because of those things you said. And because of Ron."

There were a few beats of silence.

"What happened to us, Harry?"

"I don't know, Hermione. But, I know that there is something I need to do."

Harry stood up and walked over to her chair. He took her hands in his and knelt before her.

"Harry, no.." she said, but he shook his head.

"I just need to say it. It's been seven years, 'Mione. You just need to hear it."

Hermione looked at his green eyes, and nodded slowly.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Harry said softly, looking at her. "You are my best friend in the world, and I'm desperately in love with you." Hermione hiccoughed, realizing that she had started crying. "I know you don't feel the same way, and that's ok. I just need you to know that I love you. I love your hair in the morning, and your eyes as you fall asleep. I love your smile and your laugh, the way your nose pinches up when you're confused. I love your loyalty. I love your kindness and compassion. I love your heart, and your brain, and every part of you. I don't care that you don't return the feeling. Loving you has kept me alive for a very long time, and that's enough for me."

She was openly weeping at this point.

"Hey," Harry said, frowning. "You don't need to feel bad, Hermione. You don't need to feel guilty. There is no reason for you to be sad. You haven't done anything wrong."

"But that doesn't mean everything I did was right, Harry."

"What do you mean?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.

"That night wasn't completely meaningless to me."

Harry's mouth popped open.

"What?"

She sobbed. "It wasn't just a mistake. It wasn't just a spur of the moment thing that happened between two people who were lonely. It did mean something. You remember what I said. I said we couldn't do this. You had said nothing to me that morning, how would I have known you wanted there to be a this. I was talking about myself, Harry."

He looked so confused.

Hermione got off her chair so that she was sitting on the floor with him. "At the time, I knew I had feelings for Ron, to a certain extent. I knew he had feelings for me. That's why there couldn't be a this. Not because I hadn't considered it, or because I didn't want it. But because of other people."

Harry was looking at her with his eyes huge.

"I wasn't sure how I felt about you," she whispered softly.

"What does that mean?" he asked her directly.

"It means I didn't know if I was in love you."

His breath hitched.

Hermione cried. "I wasn't sure how I felt about you, or Ron, or Draco for that matter. I never considered that you viewed me as more than just a friend. If I had known that you loved me, well, I don't know what I would've done."

There was silence.

"I still don't know if I ever loved you, Harry," she kept saying. "I think I did, I think I didn't. All I know for sure is that I could've. If our lives had gone down a different path. I could've loved Ron too. But, that wasn't what fate had in store for me. Fate lead us down this path, so now we're here. Now I love Draco. And there's nothing I can do to change that."

She looked over at him.

"I wanted to love you so much, Harry. I wanted what you offered me. A simple life, with my best friend. But I couldn't force myself. I didn't think you wanted it either. So, I pushed it aside until it was too late. Until I realized that I didn't want that life after all."

"I wanted the passion. I wanted the confusion. I wanted the make-out sessions on Quidditch Fields. I wanted to hate someone and love them at the same time. I wanted a love that was both dark and light, both mind-blowing and simple. I wanted all that. And only Draco can give it to me."

Harry was silent. Hermione didn't know what he was thinking, so she just kept talking.

"Then, that night, at Grimmauld Place. I lost my parents, and I went running to you. My rock. The person I trusted above anyone. And you screamed at me. You told me I was nothing. I ran off, and all I could think was that I had almost fallen in love with you. I wondered where we'd gotten so off track. I wondered. And then I lost myself."

"What were we, Hermione?" Harry finally said. His voice was confused among other things.

Hermione took a deep breath. "We were people. People who made mistakes. People who didn't always know what they wanted. And you and I are people who love each other very much."

"All that combined nearly destroyed us." Harry said.

They both looked at each other.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you that night, 'Mione," Harry said, reaching out and stroking her cheek. "I didn't think at all."

She leaned into his hand.

Harry looked at her, his green eyes shining with tears. "I'm sorry I didn't save you."

Hermione chocked on a sob. "You tried, Harry. I know you did. But I shouldn't have expected that of you. You can't be expected to save everyone."

Harry leaned forward and looked at her. "I was expected to save you."

Hermione cried. Before she knew it, the words were just pouring out of her. "I needed you Harry! I needed you more than I had ever needed anyone. I can't ask you to save me, but I needed you to. I'm always going to need you. I can do so much on my own. But not everything."

She reached forward and took his hands.

"And I'm sorry Harry. I'm sorry I put that pressure on you. I'm sorry I brushed you aside and didn't let myself feel for you. I'm sorry I drove a wedge between you and Ron. I never wanted that."

"I know you didn't, Hermione," said Harry. He reached forward and pulled her into a hug.

"But I still did it," she cried, clutching at Harry. "We both made mistakes back then. We should've told each other the truth. We should've let ourselves love the other. The effort of not loving each other for the sake of other people nearly killed. But we didn't. And now it's too late."

"Would you go back and change it if you had the chance?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked up at him. "I…I don't know. If we told each other the truth, we would've lost Ron. But we did that anyway. If we had talked, I wouldn't have been taken. If we had fallen together, I would've never fallen for Draco. After everything, losing seven years of my life, losing my two best friends, I think….I think Draco was worth it. That sounds so mellow-dramatic, but it's the truth. You would've given your life for me. Well, I would give those seven years for a chance at there being an us, with Draco and I."

"You really love him," Harry whispered.

Hermione nodded. "I do. I love the way he chuckles when he thinks no one's watching. I love the way he would sacrifice himself for his mother. I love the way he holds me. I love how I feel when he kisses me. I love the way he falls asleep, slowly, than all at once. I love the way he fought for me. I love the way he never gives up. I love his brain, the way he always knows the answer. I love the way he supports me, and stands by me. I love his heart that was once so cold but is now so warm and open. I love how human is he. How imperfect, yet so undeniably perfect at the same time. I love him because he smiled, and it was perfect."

Harry lay his cheek on her head. "I hope things work out for you guys."

Hermione laughed. "Harry James Potter, are you giving me your blessing?"

Harry shrugged. "Draco's a good man, Hermione. If he's what you want, and who you love, then who am I to hold you back?"

Hermione stared forward. "You've got to move on from me, Harry."

"I know," he nodded. "And I will. But I couldn't before. You were my question Hermione. My what if? I spent every day missing you. Wondering what had happened. Wondering if I could've saved you if I had done something differently. I needed this conversation before I could move on."

"We both did," Hermione said. "We both messed up badly. We both should've done something differently. But we didn't. And we will always have to live with those mistakes. But, I also know that we can both be happy. I know we can."

"What are we now, Hermione?" he asked, as he stroked her hair.

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "There's so much we still have to work through. We have to move on from each other. We aren't lovers. We aren't siblings. I'm not sure if we're best friends anymore, after everything we put the other through. We love each other so much, but I don't know what that means anymore. I don't know what we are."

"I do," Harry whispered. "We're us."

At these words, Hermione broke.

So, on the kitchen floor, two people who loved each other more than the world held each other and cried. The cried for their mistakes, for what they could've done differently, what they regret and what they didn't. They cried for the moments that had lost and the experiences they had gained. They cried for each other. They cried with each other.

Hermione had been holding Harry like a lifeline. She pulled back a bit and looked up at him. His beautiful green eyes were filled with tears. Hermione looked at the man she had loved, been in love with, slept with, cared for, lost, and questioned. Knowing it was the right thing to do, she leaned forward and kissed him, for the last time.

It was brief, but it held everything she had never said aloud. It showed him how much she loved him, and how much she had missed him.

But more importantly, it showed him goodbye.

This wasn't the end for the two of them. But it was the end of something. They didn't know what to call it, or what it really was, but they knew it was there, and had been for a long time. With that kiss, Hermione let go of Harry. She let go of her dependency on him, of the love for him she had tried to suppress. And Harry, he let go of the love that had nearly killed him for years. He let go of the girl he had fallen in love with. He let go of his guilt for not finding her. He let go.

They both did.

With that, they both stood up, and wrapped each other in a hug.

"You are always going to be a huge part of my life, Hermione," Harry whispered.

"As will you," she replied. "We'll work at it. We'll get back to being us. We'll spend time together. We'll be the siblings we were supposed to be the whole time. We'll be us, Harry."

"We always have been," he said, looking deep in her eyes.

"We should probably go to the party," she responded.

Harry nodded and held out his hand. Hermione took it, knowing that what she was accepting was much more important than what she had left behind.

"Hermione," Harry said quickly.

"Yes?" She asked.

He hesitated. Then, softly and slowly, he spoke.

"I'm sorry about your parents."

A sob got caught in her throat, and she nodded. Looking back over her shoulder, she looked at the kitchen. She looked at what she was leaving behind and what she was giving up. Then, picturing _his_ face in her mind, she smiled for what she was accepting.

She squeezed Harry's hand. They would work it out. They'd move forward. They'd stay in each other's lives. They'd be there for each other.

Hermione smiled and thought to herself, it's us after all.

* * *

**Review my wonderful people. Also suggest scenes. I promise I'll do a Hermione/muggle Weasley scene soon, since you guys keep asking for it.**

**In other news I wrote a new Dramione. It's called The Seven Deadly Sins. Go check that out.**

**Also, there is a line in this scene that came from another story. The line is "he smiled, and it was perfect." The story is called Difficult, by the author Provocative Envy. It is probably my favourite Dramione of all time, and the line was so perfect I couldn't help but put it in here. Go check out that story, it's worth the time.**


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